eBay Celebrates "Top Sellers" Of 2025 With Self-Congratulatory Awards Touting Ads, Authentication & More
eBay is closing out the year by celebrating "Top Sellers of 2025" with self-congratulatory awards ceremony that seems to be more about eBay than sellers.
First, it's important to note none of the sellers featured in this press release are based in the US - which makes sense since the event was actually the Exporter Of the Year awards - but one has to wonder why they didn't make that more clear in the headline or lede, instead giving the impression that these awards represent the "top sellers" from "around the world."
Second and even more bizarrely, it would be difficult for one to read this press release and not come away with the idea that it is in fact eBay which deserves all the awards and accolades, with individual sellers only able to eke out some meager success thanks to the largess, benevolence and magical innovations of the ecommerce giant.
Recently, the HIS team hosted the Exporter of the Year 2025 (EoY '25) event in Hanoi, Vietnam, honoring sellers’ entrepreneurial drive and standout accomplishments in global exporting.
The two-day event brought together 100 Top Sellers from Global Emerging Markets, including Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia, for connection, collaboration, and shared learning.
Across every winner’s journey, one theme stood out: unwavering praise for the eBay team.
Sellers consistently shared how their business growth was directly shaped by eBay’s tools, programs, and problem‑solving support.
From day one, they emphasized that eBay has been a partner every step of the way, helping them to adapt, innovate, and thrive in the global marketplace.
And the winners are....
Slovakia — Jan Trucka, J&J Automotive
"Honored with the Parts & Accessories Excellence Award, Jan Trucka grew his business by leveraging eBay’s research tools to identify new opportunities and scale effectively."
It would be interesting to know which research tools specifically eBay is referring to here as one of their offerings, Sourcing Insights, has never worked properly for Motors Parts & Accessories categories since its introduction in 2021.
Liz Morton
Affected sellers extensively reported those problems at the time, but over 4 years later, they still haven't been fixed.
And while it's wonderful for J&J Automotive that they have been able to scale their business on eBay in 2025, it would also be very interesting to know if their return rates remained in line with that scale or increased significantly as many Parts and Accessories sellers have experienced since eBay started forcing them to provide free 30 day returns earlier this year.
Liz Morton
India — Aanshul Jaiin, Uwash Jewelry
"Winner of the Luxury Excellence Award, Aanshul Jaiin expanded globally after two decades focused on the domestic market. Leveraging eBay to expand his 25‑year-old jewelry business, he credits the eBay Authentication Program and the use of a local warehouse as key drivers of his success this year."
eBay extended the Authenticity Guarantee for Jewelry to sellers from India who have inventory located in the US in 2023, hoping the initiative would help boost exports from the region.
Liz Morton
While that has clearly benefited some sellers, it could also raise questions or concerns about eBay putting a very heavy thumb on the scale or acting in ways that favor some sellers (and eBay's own interests) above others.
Slovenia — Aleksandra Kralj, Ecocool
"Recipient of the Lifestyle Excellence Award, Aleksandra Kralj exceeded expectations by reaching far more customers on eBay. By prioritizing customer experience, she reduced complaints and returns while strengthening her global presence and driving significant business growth."
Singapore — Amit Chilgunde, Creationwatches
"Awarded the Fashion & Jewelry Excellence Award, Amit Chilgunde, a 20‑year seller, actively leveraged eBay programs and shipping tools such as CPaSS to accelerate growth in the watches category."
eBay launched CPaSS in 2022 to provide cross border logistics solutions for the Asia Pacific region - but it wasn't designed only with "helping sellers" in mind, it's a key strategic initiative eBay has leveraged in efforts to stave off competition from competitors like Temu and Shein and to keep exports flowing from that area of the world despite tumultuous tariff situation.
Liz Morton
And finally, as many sellers already know, eBay is all about the ads, which they claim the final featured awardee has successfully used to power "game-changing growth" - while conveniently not disclosing at what cost.
Singapore — Dennis Tan, Thypon Machinery
"Winner of the Business & Industrial Excellence Award, Dennis Tan boosted sales of compact mini excavators by creating detailed listings, moving inventory to local warehouses to improve after‑sales service, and using Ads as a game‑changer for growth."
It's of course not surprising that eBay is pumping "good news" stories about ads ahead of impending (and wildly unpopular with sellers) changes which are set to take effect in January.
Liz Morton
What do you think of eBay's "Top Sellers Of 2025" list and what kinds of "tools, programs and problem-solving support" would like to see eBay introduce in 2026 and beyond? Let us know in the comments below!
